This invention relates generally to computer network-based communication systems, and more particularly, to methods for facilitating Web-based information exchange within an organization.
The collections of computer networks known as the Internet and World Wide Web have produced a dramatic improvement in electronic communications and information access. Using remote terminals and local area networks connected with the Internet, individuals and organizations are now able to easily communicate electronically, by sending messages, and relaying, displaying and accessing information. Much of the information now available on the Internet is displayed on Web pages usually composed in Hyper-text Mark-up Language (HTML). Web pages, and connected series of pages called Web sites, typically are structured and connected using hyperlinks. Hyperlinks, by implicitly invoking the URL of a related Web page, offer the computer user “point and click” options for navigating through the pages of the Web site using a mouse. Usually, a Web site includes a home page that displays a directory or listing of multiple hyperlinks which direct the user to a number of different but related Web pages. A typical Web site is thus introduced by a home page, and the computer user uses the mouse to navigate through the multiple hyperlinks available on each page.
Despite the advantages offered by the Web, most Web site designers and administrators still struggle with composing and organizing a Web site to maximize user-friendliness. Problems frequently encountered by computer users navigating through a Web site include Web pages crowded with multiple hyperlinks, difficult to read or ambiguous hyperlinks, “missing hyperlinks” for accessing information known to be available on the site, and in general, poorly organized Web pages and sites. When one figures a few seconds or more for connecting to each new page, navigating through a poorly organized Web site is frequently a frustrating and time-consuming task.
For large organizations having multiple divisions, and especially organizations with nationally or internationally distributed divisions, the Web offers unique advantages for rapid and convenient intra-organization communications. However, the rapid growth of the Web has resulted in organizational problems that make finding specific information on the Web increasingly difficult and time-consuming. In particular, the vast amounts of information now available on the Web are not easily sorted and organized in such a way that a user can easily find desired information. The problems of Web site organization are especially acute for large organizations that desire to improve internal communications, simply because of the huge and varied amount of information to be organized and presented in a meaningful way to different users with different needs. Many large organizations leave this problem unaddressed and simply maintain Web sites that are very difficult for a user to navigate. Other organizations answer this problem by maintaining multiple, functionally disconnected Web sites for each division or department, leaving communication gaps between the divisions or departments.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a method for facilitating Web-based information exchange. It would also be desirable to provide a method for facilitating network communications among individuals in different divisions of an organization. It would further be desirable to provide a method that allows effective Web-based communications among individuals working in different geographic locations for the same organization. It would be still further desirable to provide a method to facilitate global, intra-organization communications that reduces phone and standard mail usage.